Theater: Johnny Baseball at the A.R.T.: June 10, 2010

Transcript

>> Rooney: FOR OVER 80 YEARS THE RED SOX WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP QUESTS WERE THE STUFF OF GREAT DRAMA.

NOW THEY'RE ALSO FODDER FOR A WORLD PREMIER MUSICAL AT THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE.

JARED BOWEN LOOKS AT "JOHNNY BASEBALL"

>> IT WAS THE ONCE RESOUNDING REGRET OF RED SOX NATION.

>> WHY DOES GOD HATE US.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE!

WE'RE DOWN THREE GAMES TO NOTHING.

AND LOSING 2-1.

>> IN THE BRAND-NEW MUSICAL JOHNNY BASEBALL AT THE AMERICAN REPER TORY THEATRE WE'RE TAKEN TO GAME FOUR OF THE 2004 ALCS, AN ANXIETY FILLED LATE NIGHT THAT WOULD SEE THE RED SOX GO 12 INNINGS AGAINST THE YANKEES.

THE CLUTCHES OF THE CURSE WERE TIGHT.

>> 86 YEARS OF LOSING TO THE YANKEES.

86 YEARS, COLD HARD TRUTH.

86 YEARS ß

ß 86 YEARS ß

ß.

>> THE SHOW IS THE BRAINCHILD OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED FANS WILY REALE AND MASSACHUSETTS NATIVE RICHARD DRESSER.

>> I FOLLOWED THE RED SOX MY ENTIRE LIFE SO THIS IS TRULY ABOUT PASSION FOR ME.

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO MY TEAM.

>> AND I'M A YANKEE'S FAN BUT I'M THE ODDLY SYMPATHETIC YANKEE'S FAN BECAUSE I WATCH MY FRIENDS SUFFER THROUGH ALL THIS STUFF.

>> SUFFER AS WE WELL KNOW AT THE HANDS OF THE ALLEGED CURSE.

THE MUSICAL OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF THE CURSE THROUGH THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER OF 1919 BASEBALL IF HE NO JOHNNY O'BRIEN.

QUICKLY RENAMED BY THE PRESS JOHNNY BASEBALL.

>> ALL I WANT TO DO IS MAKE IT TO THE SERIES.

WIN ONE IN THE SERIES FOR MY TEAM.

STANDING ON THE MOUND I SHAKE A CASE OF JITTERS.

STARING DOWN THE HITTERS.

THAT'S MY DREAM.

>> HE WINS HIS FIRST FIVE GAMES.

HE SHUTS EVERYBODY OUT.

HE PITCHES A NO-HITTER.

AND IN THE COURSE OF HIS BOUNCING AROUND WITH BABE RUTH HE COMES UPON 24 BEAUTIFUL, THIS DAZZLING BLUES SINGER AND HE FALLS FOR HER.

AND SHE FOR HIM-- ß MAYBE ß

ß MAYBE THIS IS HEAVEN ß

ß MAYBE I'LL ANGEL ß

ß.

>> JOHNNIE'S INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JAZZ SINGER DAISY RESULTS IN A SWIFT END TO HIS RED SOX CAREER.

AND OPENS UP THE NOTION THAT THE CAUSE OF THE CURSE WAS NOT THE SELLING OF BABE RUTH.

>> YOU DON'T HAVE TO DIG VERY DEEP TO FIND OUT THAT THE REAL CURSE IS INSTITUTIONAL RACISM.

THE SOX TRIED OUT JACKIE ROBINSON IN '45.

THE FIRST TEAM TO TRY OUT AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PLAYER AND DIDN'T SIGN PUMPSY GREEN UNTIL 1959.

THE LAST TEAM TO SIGN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PLAYER.

>> BUT OUR FEELING FROM THE VERY START WAS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO WRITE INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THE MUSICAL.

>> AND THEY HAVEN'T SAYS DIRECTOR DIANNE ß.

>> THE CREATORS HAVE ROUND THE SHOW'S BASES WITH ROUSING SONGS, SURELY FANS AND A SURLIER BABE RUTH TO KEEP US ENTERTAINED ß IF MAMA HAD BEEN SOBER ß

ß.

>> THIS IS A SHOW THAT SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE PASSIONS OF THIS PARTICULAR COMMUNITY.

SO THE FIRST DAY WE DID THE SHOW, AUDIENCE CAME IN THE FULL RED SOX GEAR.

WE THOUGHT IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.

>> IT'S A BRIGHT END TO THE FIRST SEASON AT THE HELL OF THE ART AND A MARKED CHANGE FROM THE THEATRE'S DAYS OF OLD WHEN A CROWD PLEASING SHOW DRAWING MOUNDS OF THEATRE AND BASEBALL FANS ALIKE WOULD HAVE BEEN INCONCEIVABLE.

>> I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW ALL SEASON.

IT'S BEEN A SHOW I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR YEARS.

AND I LOVE THAT THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THESE CERTIFICATE GIVING BIRTH TIE GREAT NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL.

>> AND JARED BOWEN IS HERE.

WELL, JARED, WE'VE TALKED, DIANNE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TO BROADWAY BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WILL HAVE A UNIVERSAL APPEAL SINCE IT'S RED SOX-BASED.

>> I HAVE HAD THIS DEBATE WITH OTHER CRITICS AND OTHER THEATRE FANS.

AND I ACTUALLY THINK SO.

BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT DAMN YANKEES AND YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A HUGE, OF COURSE, HIT.

MY DATE THAT NIGHT WAS SOMEBODY WHO'S NOT INTO SPORTS AT ALL, LOVES MUSICAL THEATRE AND SHE LOVED THIS SHOW.

SO I THINK YOU CAN BE ENTERTAINED BY SPORTS EVEN MORE IF YOU FOLLOW THE RED SOX BUT I THINK IT'S A STORY AND MUSS THAKE PEOPLE ENJOY OUTSIDE OF SPORTS.

>> SO THE THREAD HERE WAS REALLY THIS INTERRAIX IMAGERY BUT NOT RACISM.

>> IT IS RACISM.

AS WILLIE REALE EXPLAINED, THAT IS THE VERY DARK HISTORY OF THE RED SOX WHICH EVERYBODY IS FAMILIAR WITH.

SO THEY STAYED CLOSE TO HISTORY THERE.

JUST VEERED OFF IN CREATING THIS CHARACTER OF JOHNNIE O'BRIEN AND HOW BLATANTLY THE FANS AND THE RED SOX OWNERSHIP AREN'T WILLING TO ACCEPT AN INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP AT THAT TIME, 1919.

>> YOU TOLD ME THEY ALLOWED BEERS AND HOT DOG.

>> IT IS DIANNE, SHE IS TRYING TO CHANGE THE WHOLE FEEL OF THEATRE AND THE THEATRE EXPERIENCE, IS EVERYTHING AN EVENT SO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THE HOT DOG VENDORS FROM FENWAY WHO SET UP A CART.

YOU CAN BRING YOUR BEER, YOUR HOT DOG INTO THE THEATRE.

I WAS THERE FOR OPENING NIGHT, BILL LEE THE RED SOX PLAYER WAS THERE IN HIS SHORTS, SAN DAHLS AND T-SHIRT IT IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL THEATRE OR ART CROWD IT IS VERY FUN.

>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS THEATRE CRITIC LOUISE KENNEDY SAID SHE SAW HOMOPHOBIC OVERTONES AND THERE WAS PUSHBACK INCLUDING FROM THE WRITER OF THE PLAY.

DID YOU CATCH ANY OF THAT?

>> I DIDN'T.

LOUISE KENNEDY IS A FRIEND WRO WHO IS STILL A CRITIC FOR THE BOSTON GLOBT.

I DIDN'T SEE IT I SPOKE WITH HER TODAY THROUGH AN E-MAIL EXCHANGE.

SHE SAYS SHE STANDS BY HER REVIEW.

SHE TAKES THE CHARGES SERIOUSLY.

SHE STANDS BY HER INTERPRETATION OF SOME OF THE SCENES BUT I DIDN'T SEE IT MYSELF.

>> ALL RIGHT, OKAY.

JARED BOWEN, THANKS A LOT, APPRECIATE IT THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER BOSTON."

A REMIND TORE TUNE INTO THE NEW 89.7 FOR MY RADIO SHOW FOLLOWED BY CALLIE CROSSLEY AT 1:00.

COMING UP NEXT, THE QUARTERFINAL ROUND OF "HIGH SCHOOL QUIZ SHOW"

TOMORROW NIGHT IT'S BEAT THE PRESS, THE CONTROVERSY BEHIND THE RESIGNATION OF HELEN THOMAS, PLUS PUBLICITY STUNT OR GOOD JOURNALISM, ONE REPORTER'S DIVE INTO THE GULF OIL DISASTER.

THAT'S TOMORROW AT 70 CLOCK.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.

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Jared Bowen is WGBH’s Emmy Award-winning Executive Editor and Host for Arts. Find him hosting Open Studio on Channel 2 each Friday, sharing advice for theater goers on Thursday's Morning Edition and reporting on local arts for Greater Boston.

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